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Chair reports on NACo meeting: raises concerns about FEMA biological opinion, Secure Rural Schools and timber legislation
Summary
The board chair returned from the National Association of Counties conference and briefed the commission about FEMA’s biological opinion, Secure Rural Schools funding shortfalls, and timber‑related bills pending in the Oregon Legislature.
The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners’ chair updated the board on meetings in Washington, D.C., and on issues the chair said could affect the county and other counties nationwide.
The chair told commissioners on March 12 that FEMA’s biological opinion and related changes to floodplain and emergency programs are a concern for many counties and may have effects beyond Oregon. “Biological opinion is, comes out of a court ruling, and it is an action being taken by FEMA, which ties together the flood insurance program, response to emergencies, and the Endangered Species Act,” the chair said, and described outreach to other counties and federal officials to raise issues and seek dialogue. The chair said a lawsuit is pending in a D.C. court and that the court had requested additional information.
The chair also briefed commissioners on Secure Rural Schools funding, saying that reduced federal timber harvest on federal lands and termination of related replacement revenue has left county roads budgets short. The chair estimated the county’s road program faces a loss in the range of $500,000 to $700,000 annually from the combination of lower harvest receipts and missing Secure Rural Schools reauthorization. The chair said Senator Ron Wyden and others discussed the importance of the program and that reauthorization had not been secured in the most recent federal budget cycle.
On state legislative activity, the chair said there is a bill pending that would allow counties to request return of state timberlands and another bill intended to require more accurate modeling of sustainable harvest by the Oregon Department of Forestry; the chair said the latter would hold the department to better modeling and require adjustments if harvest projections prove inaccurate. The chair described these as ongoing policy conversations rather than finalized changes.
Why it matters: the chair framed these federal and state developments as potentially material to county revenues, forest management and floodplain regulation, and said Tillamook County is engaging with peer counties and elected officials to convey local concerns. No formal board action was taken at the meeting on these matters.
